Subject D
by EmeraldTulip
Summary: '"Hey, Mom? Why does this say my last name is Davenport?"' Daniel never was different. He wasn't popular, wasn't a nerd, wasn't anything. He didn't even know he was adopted until he found the papers. Then, he found his real father. He learned the truth. It wasn't necessarily a good truth, but he would accept it nonetheless. (Two-shot)
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** _Subject D_

 **Rating:** K+

 **Genre:** Family, drama, angst, a little adventure

 **Characters:** Daniel, Douglas, Daniel's parents, and the Dooley-Davenports (in chapter 2)

 **Pairing(s):** None

 **Summary:** '"Hey, Mom? Why does this say my last name is Davenport?"' Daniel never was different. He wasn't popular, wasn't a nerd, wasn't anything. He didn't even know he was adopted until he found the papers. Then, he found his real father. He learned the truth. It wasn't necessarily a good truth, but he would accept it nonetheless. (Two-shot)

 **Warnings:** None

 **Notes:** (Shoutout to Susz for reading over this before I posted this!) I've really been wanting to post something with Daniel, since we don't know much about his life (or him at all, for that matter). Oh, I have this idea that he didn't know he was adopted until he found out about Douglas, so that's what's happening here. This takes place before ATTWF, obviously. I hope you like the first chapter!

* * *

A year ago, if Daniel had to choose one word to describe himself, it would be _normal_. Because that was the truth. He was a typical kid. His dad was a teacher at his school, his mom was an engineer. He was an only child. He had very few friends. He got average grades. He had easily-forgettable features: brown hair, brown eyes, medium height. Nothing about him was special—that was a lie he believed his entire life.

* * *

The way Daniel found out was completely accidental—if he could go back in time, he would stop himself from ever looking for his records.

Because of a school project involving his ancestry, he was in the attic of his house searching for his birth certificate. He located the box labeled 'Daniel's records' fairly easily and quickly opened it, scrabbling for his birth certificate. He came up empty for a few moments, but then found it in a folder all the way at the bottom of the box.

Flipping open the folder, he rifled through the papers until he found his birth certificate. _Finally, I can see an A+ in my future!_ he thought gleefully. Suddenly, something odd caught his eye, and he squinted at the paper. On the name line, it said 'Daniel Davenport'. That _wasn't_ his name. That had never been his name.

"Mom?" He stood, clutching the folder, and rushed downstairs. "Mom!"

"In the kitchen, Dan!" his mother called.

He hurried over to her, holding out the papers. His mother's eyes widened, and Daniel noticed. "Hey, Mom? Why does it say my last name is Davenport?"

"I… I don't…" His mother seemed at a loss for words, and that helped Daniel put the pieces of the puzzle together. He didn't look like either of his parents, or any of his relatives. His records said that he had a different last name.

Daniel felt extraordinarily calm, considering the circumstances. "It's because Davenport really _is_ my name, isn't it? You're not my mom, are you? And Dad isn't my dad. I'm adopted, aren't I?"

His mother sighed. "Daniel, honey, we didn't want you to find out like this…"

"Well, how did you _expect_ for me to find out?" he demanded.

"We were going to tell you—" she began to protest, but he cut her off.

"Sure you were!" he shouted sarcastically, frustrated. "When, Mom? After thirteen years? _When_ were you going to tell me? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Danny—"

"Don't call me that," he snapped, voice cracking slightly. "You're not my mom and you didn't even tell me, so _don't_ call me that."

She sighed once again. "Daniel. You want the truth? Okay, fine. When you were a baby, your father left you at the adoption center before getting himself _killed_ in a fire. He didn't want you, but we did. We wanted you to grown up with parents, with _us_ as parents, because the moment we saw you, we knew that you were special!"

"Don't give me that cliché 'we-knew-you-were-special' speech," Daniel snapped. "I'm _not_ special. I'm not! I'm just a typical kid who happens to have a dad who is dead and was adopted. Don't _say_ that I'm special, you're just lying to me yet again! I hate you!"

He hadn't meant it. He had just been so mad, and in the moment he _had_ been just so overwhelmed by the frustration that the words had just spilled from his lips. That didn't stop him from saying it again, quieter this time. "I hate you."

At that moment, Daniel's 'dad' walked in, grinning. As he saw his wife's helpless look faced with Daniel's murderous expression, his smile slid off his face and turned into a confused frown. "So… what did I miss?"

* * *

"He's not dead, you know."

Daniel's 'mom' looked up in surprise as the two of them sat at the dining table. Daniel hadn't spoken to anyone for a week, and he was only being more cryptic than ever. "Who isn't?" she asked.

"My dad. Douglas Davenport. I researched him. He was assumed dead for years after that fire, but he resurfaced just a few months ago. Guess what? He's working at that Bionic Academy we keep hearing about."

His adopted mother's lip curled. "He's training those _freaks_? Why?"

Daniel had to refrain from literally punching her. "His brother is Donald Davenport, the billionaire. Donald's kids are the bionic heroes. They're _not_ freaks."

"Daniel, they're part machine!"

"So are the guys who have prosthetic limbs because they lost their real arms and legs in war! And guess what? We call them heroes, not freaks. Why are the bionic humans any different?" he demanded.

"Daniel, they're not even human!"

He stood and slammed his hands on the table. "They are! I've done research on them, and they're human, okay? They're humans who are just enhanced. They can save people better than any police officer or firefighter or anyone, so I don't see why you don't like them! They're my family, it doesn't matter that I've never met them, they're my flesh and blood!" He spun on his heel and stalked from the room.

* * *

Daniel's fingers trembled slightly as he typed the numbers into his phone and hit the 'call' button. His entire hand was shaking by the time he raised the phone to his ear.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

Daniel swallowed hard and took in a breath. "Hi. Is this Douglas Davenport?"

 _"_ _Uh, yes. Who is this?"_

"I'm Daniel… Davenport. I just found out I'm adopted… and apparently, I'm your son." He bit his lip, wondering if he'd been too straightforward.

Something in Douglas Davenport's voice changed. _"Daniel? They kept the name I gave you…"_

"Yeah."

 _"_ _Oh my… I never thought…"_

"I know, you never thought we would meet again. But I just have a question," Daniel said. "Why? I'm not mad, honestly. I just want to know _why_ you left me, why you didn't raise me."

He heard a burst of static, indicating that Douglas had sighed. _"Daniel, I… I was in a dark place back then. Truly, it was awful. I had to make a decision—you were just a baby and I didn't want to drag you into my mess. I really am sorry."_

"It's okay," Daniel said immediately. He didn't want to be mad anymore. He was hurt, and he felt so alone, but he knew he _couldn't_ keep pushing people away. He had to accept these people into his life, whether he liked them or not. "I know this is a lot to ask, but… can I maybe meet you?"

 _"_ _Daniel, I… would love to meet you, really, but I just… can't right now. You may be ready, but I'm not. I'm really sorry."_

"Oh," Daniel said, admittedly a little disappointed. "Well… that's okay. But someday, maybe?"

 _"_ _Yeah, I can do that."_

"Promise?"

 _"_ _Yes, I promise. If you ever need something, just call, okay? I have thirteen years of fathering to make up for."_

"Okay. Thank you."

 _"_ _I'll see you soon, Daniel."_

The line went dead, and Daniel lowered the phone from his ear. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

"Hey… Mom?"

Daniel entered the dining, warily watching his mother as she sat there, writing something mathy-looking—for work, evidently.

"What?" she replied shortly.

"I just… wanted to apologize," he said. "I was just hurt and upset that you didn't tell me that I was adopted, and I really took my anger out on you. I don't hate you. It wasn't fair, and I'm sorry."

"Oh, Danny…" she suddenly stood and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said what I did earlier. They're your biological family, and I shouldn't have insulted them like that. I guess I was just…" she trailed off.

"What, Mom?'"

"I was just worried I would lose you," she murmured, tearing up. "I really do love you, Daniel, I didn't want to see you just run off with a random person you'd never met before, even if he _is_ your father."

He pulled away from the hug. "Mom… I called him."

"Douglas?" she asked, surprised. "What did he say?"

Daniel shrugged. "He was nice. But he said he wasn't ready to meet me yet, and I'm okay with that. He said that… well, maybe someday. You don't have to worry about losing me, Mom, not yet. You're the one who raised me, not him. He may be my father, but you're my _real_ parent. And even though someday soon, I'm going to have to grow up and leave, you won't lose me. I promise."

She drew him into another hug at the precise moment Daniel's adoptive dad walked in. "Seriously, again?" he exclaimed. "I am _definitely_ missing something!"

* * *

 **Reviews are appreciated, and chapter 2 should be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, guys! Sorry for the wait, I had a bit of writer's block for this chapter. Thanks for the reviews, though, they motivated me a lot!**

 **PurpleNicole531: Yeah, I liked writing Daniel's dad, he was fun. There's more of him in this chapter! I have the same feeling about Daniel, he's great even though we haven't seen much of him. Maybe we'll see him in Elite Force, who knows?**

 **AlienGhostWizard14: Thanks! I liked the freedom I had to create a backstory for Daniel, he's such an interesting character once you give him a chance.**

 **jasminejohnson41: I agree, Daniel needs more stories!**

 **Stardust16: You** ** _know_** **I had to do a Daniel story! Funny enough, I've always had this story in my head that Douglas pretended he died in a fire. It was that or falling into a volcano, to take Donald's words literally. It's not irrelevant at all, actually! Daniel doesn't have any siblings here, but he does have a cousin. Daniel coming to the Academy and what transpires in the episode is kinda skimmed over, since there wasn't much I could do with it, unfortunately. As for the requests you made, well… consider this a warm-up act ;)**

 **daphrose: Yeah, go ahead! I'd actually** ** _love_** **to see a Daniel backstory from you, I have a feeling it'll be interesting! Anyway, Daniel's dad is included a bit more in this chapter. And I had the same thought—that was the life Bree wanted, more or less. I agree, the episodes could've focused on his decisions and discoveries about himself and his family a bit more, but hey! More stories for us to write!**

 **I should probably give you an OC warning before we start. This story kinda serves as a backdoor introduction for a recurring OC of mine—she'll be popping up in some stories every now and then, if all goes according to plan. You'll figure it out soon enough. Enjoy the chapter, guys!**

* * *

"You're really going to the Bionic Academy?"

Daniel looked up from his half-packed bag, startled by the voice in the doorway of his bedroom. When he saw who it was, his face lit up with a smile. "Summer, hi!"

His sixteen-year-old cousin walked in—well, apparently not his actual cousin, but whatever—grinning widely. "So, what my mom said was true? You're really meeting your biological dad?"

"Yeah, I'm going to the island for a few days," Daniel said, sitting down on his bed. "It's kinda weird. I mean, I didn't—"

"—even know, right?" Summer finished his sentence. "Yeah, your mom told my mom—seriously, they're _super_ gossipy, even for sisters—and I overheard." She seemed to think something over for a moment, then asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" he replied immediately. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She gave him a skeptical look, but let it go. "So, tell me about him."

"Why?" It wasn't intended to be rude, he was just curious as to why she would want to know about Douglas.

"Because you're my cousin and friend, of course!" she replied easily. "I want to know if I'm allowed to silently hate your real dad or if I have to like him!"

Daniel laughed. Even though Summer was older than him by a few years, she could really act like a five-year-old at times. "Well, I've called him a few times. He's really nice. He didn't think he was ready to meet me, but apparently he changed his mind—plus he said I'll get to meet the rest of the family!"

"If he's that great, then… why didn't he keep you as a kid?" That was the type of girl Summer was—always very to-the-point. Daniel was used to it, and so the comment didn't sting as much as it could have.

"He says that he was doing some bad stuff back then, and he didn't want to drag me into his mess since I was so young, and that's why he put me up for adoption." He shrugged, pointing at his laptop, which was open at his desk. "I did find out that he did have a criminal record, but mostly for weird, random, or small stuff—he stole technology from some competing company, etcetera etcetera… Oh, right, he was assumed dead in a fire until last year."

"Sounds wonderful," Summer said sarcastically, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she peered at the computer. "So why are you so excited to meet him, if he was a pretty bad dude?"

"Because he _was_ a pretty bad dude," Daniel replied. "Not is, _was_. He seems better now—he's working for the government, at the Bionic Academy, like you said. He made amends with his family, which was apparently one of his reasons for completely snapping…" he picked up his computer and clicked a few different keys. An old news report popped up, and he offered it to his cousin.

Summer looked at it and read a phrase aloud. "'Last week, after several charges against him, Douglas Davenport was kicked out of Davenport Industries by his brother, Donald Davenport.' It's dated from around fourteen years ago." She looked up. "There's a picture of him. So?"

"Well, from what I can tell, he kinda got all depressed after that. He made more and more dangerous things, and around that time, he gave me up. He was in a fire not long after that, everyone thought he was dead. Popped back up around the time bionic humans were revealed to the world, and he's been helping them ever since," he explained. Silence hung between them for a moment before he said, "I think having family around helps."

"And you think you can help even more," Summer said—it was a statement, not a question.

"I hope so," Daniel replied. "I think that he should have his _whole_ family around him for a while, maybe it'll do him some good."

Summer smiled slightly, somehow managing to look dead serious at the same time. "You're always trying to make people happy, Dan. Don't forget not to let that get in the way of your own happiness." She stood and began to walk out, but stopped in the door. "Have fun at the island, Daniel. Oh—and get autographs for me, will ya?" She gave him a playful grin before walking away.

* * *

"Dan, you got everything, right?"

Daniel took his bag from his adopted father's hands. "Yeah, _now_ I do."

"You'll be okay, I'm sure. Those bionic kids will protect you if anything goes wrong… unless _they're_ the ones who are going wrong… I don't really know how it works, and then I don't—"

"Dad, you're doing it again," Daniel said, cutting him off. "I don't see how your students put up with your nonstop talking all the time." He grinned, making sure his father knew he was only joking.

He took a breath. "Yeah, sorry. Just kinda nervous for you… so much has happened in recent weeks, and now you're meeting your father! Not to mention the bionic heroes and a billionaire… of all the families you could've been born into, it just so happened to be that one. I mean, what are the odds? They—"

"And again!" Daniel singsonged, smiling. "I'll be fine. It's only for a few days. I'll still be the same old Daniel when I come home." He turned and began to walk down the street, heading towards the address Douglas had sent him to board the 'hydroloop', whatever that was. "Tell Mom I'll call if I'm not back when you expect me to!" he called behind him before breaking into a run.

* * *

Everything started out smoothly enough—he found his dad, met his cousins and uncle. They even pranked Donald a bit, which was super fun. But it all went downhill when they all took a simple _picture_ together.

As he stepped out of the middle capsule and joined his cousins for a picture, there was a tingling in his neck. Quickly, the buzzing intensified until his teeth were chattering, and he thought they might possibly fall out. Suddenly, it stopped. That in itself was weird, but when he ran to go get his dad, everything blurred around him and suddenly he ran right into the wall. Face first, and it _hurt_.

Even before anyone said it out loud, he figured it out—he was bionic. It made sense in his mind, but he didn't want it to be true. When it was confirmed, that was when he knew that there absolutely was no way to get his life back. (Not to mention that everyone lied and Adam, Bree, and Chase were his siblings, not his cousins.)

When everyone started arguing, he felt out of place. He was obviously glad not to be part of the fighting, but he at the very least didn't want them all arguing with him there— _not_ a very good first impression. So he tried to leave, give them time to cool down.

"See, this is why I didn't want him coming here, I shouldn't have let you talk me into it!"

 _Ouch_. His own biological father didn't want him there. That really did hurt.

* * *

Crazy. That word perfectly described the rest of his day. He threw lasers, broke stuff, used Superman breath to fix what he broke, and then had to explain himself to his dad. Fortunately, before he left, he got to talk to his cousin/siblings again.

"So… how're you going to explain this to your parents?" Bree asked.

He shrugged. "I probably won't."

Chase frowned. "Wait, so you're just not going to tell them?" When he received a half-nod in reply, he continued, "But that's so irresponsible! I mean, you're technically government property now, and any civilians involved could be—"

Adam suddenly punched his arm, cutting him off, and Leo glanced sympathetically at the teenage genius before turning back to Daniel. "And _that_ is why he's never had a girlfriend."

"There was Sabrina!" Chase protested, earning him another punch.

"And you Spiked out on her, so you messed that up, badly!" Leo pointed out.

"A word of advise to the bionic copy machine," Bree said looking at Daniel, "I would _not_ copy his commando app, Spike. Trust me, I had a temporary one—worst thirty minutes of my life." She grinned at Chase. "Although it _was_ fun completely annihilating you."

"Wait, 'commando app'?" Daniel repeated.

"Uh-huh."

"What does underwear—"

"No, that's different!" Chase protested immediately, pouting. "Back to the original topic, please!"

"Well, what _are_ you going to do, Daniel?" Bree asked, and Daniel just shook his head, turning away.

"You can't keep this stuff hidden forever, you know," Leo added. "Trust me, I've tried."

Adam grinned. "It's true. He was the surprise fourth bionic kid who almost lasered the face off of a protester in front of our house!"

"At social events, he _still_ always introduces me like that," Leo said, annoyed.

Chase's eyes burned into the back of Daniel's head. "Daniel. What are you going to do?"

* * *

The first thing Daniel did when he got back to the mainland was run to Summer's house. He found his cousin on her front steps, reading a book. When she noticed him coming, she immediately closed the book and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Promise me you won't freak out, and promise me you won't tell anyone, not even our parents?"

"Uh, sure," she said, raising an eyebrow. "My dad won't care, you know."

"It doesn't matter, just say the words!" he insisted.

"Okay, okay! I promise I won't freak out and/or tell anyone, not even the adults!" She gave him a look. "Now, what is it?"

He took in a breath, stepped back and super sped a few feet to the right—he still hadn't replaced Bree's speed with anything else. He ran in a few circles for good measure before skidding to a halt. "Gotta work on that landing," he muttered to himself.

The book fell out of Summer's hands. "Wha—you just—okay, what is going on?"

"Yeah, turns out that my dad stuck a chip in me when I was a kid, it got activated when I stood in a capsule, and now I'm a 'bionic copy machine', as my sister calls me. Who can fire eyeball lasers. Oh, right, I forgot to mention that my cousins are my siblings, not my cousins." His voice practically dripped with sarcasm.

Summer recovered quickly. "Oh… okay. Um, don't take this the wrong way, but why did you come to me? I mean, why did you want to talk to me? I haven't gotten to… whatever this is called in science class yet."

Daniel sighed and sat down next to her. "I don't know if I should tell my parents. My new siblings think I should, but I don't know if I can. I told my dad, the adoptive one, that I would be the same old Daniel when I came back from the island, but I'm _not_. My entire life just… completely changed."

"Daniel, that's not true," Summer said. "Just because you're bionic, just because you're adopted, it doesn't change who you are. You've been bionic your whole life, you just never knew. You've been adopted your whole life, you just never knew. And now that you do, you're going to let that stop you?" She shook her head and stood. "I wouldn't, but it's up to you. I'm not going to break my promise, but… let me know what you decide, alright?" She began to walk inside, but stopped. "Hey, did you get my autographs for me?"

He grinned and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to her. "Sure did! Adam was less than happy, but that's okay, Bree terrified him into signing. I got Donald, the billionaire, to sign, and even my dad did!"

Summer beamed as she took the paper. "Thanks, this is awesome! Oh, if and when you go back, tell them that I would totally not be against meeting my cousin's biological family, okay?"

"Got it," Daniel replied. "Oh, and Summer?" he stopped her from going inside just yet. "You're the best cousin ever."

She laughed. "I know. See you later, Dan." She closed the door behind her, and once it shut, Daniel began walking home.

 _What are you going to do?_ All their words echoed in his head. He didn't know if he should—his mother would be mad, his father would be just stunned. Not to mention that his biological dad might be mad if he used his new abilities in public...

He was so lost in thought that didn't even realize his eyes were heating up until he accidentally cut a small tree in half. He laughed at himself and shook his head. _Maybe I could use a little training before I tell anyone._

* * *

 **And then time skip, then The Vanishing, and boom!**

 **Anyway, I'd love to hear thoughts! Did you like Daniel's backstory? What about his parents and cousin? Anyone want to see them in any later Daniel stories I may have planned?**

 **Thanks for reading, everyone!**


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